It’s obvious that when people first decided to develop along South African shores, they weren’t all that aware that sand will migrate and water levels rise

It’s a pity, because not only have beaches been lost, but houses and roads, too.

Depending on which beach is your fave, different processes are occurring: in Durban, there’s no sand left, while in Cape Town, there’s too much.

Times Live reports that lately, Table View’s Marine Drive, as well as subsidiary roads, has been buried by migrating sand dunes which now have to be “rehabilitated, reshaped and stabilised”.

But R35 million is needed to do so and, until the money is found, all officials can do is clear the sand that moves into the road. Admin:

So dangerous! If you have driven along Baden Powell, you will understand.

Here’s ward councillor Nicky Rheeder:

“The dune system is dynamic. Due to erosion over the years, the drought and the lack of vegetation to keep the sand at bay, the dune system is moving over to the road.

“Remember that where KFC is now was once a dune. We need to rehabilitate them in order to keep the sand on the dunes and off the road, parking and grass.”

But even with the money, the process will take two years to complete:

“It would involve moving sand, putting vegetation in place and shaping the dune, among other things. This will be a very complex process,” she said.

In Durban, the problem is opposite; massive areas of what used to beach are now becoming, well, a part of the ocean, reports News24:

Coastal activists and regular beach users blame the eThekwini municipality for the state of the beaches. But the municipality says it is doing all it can in the face of climate change and “overmining” of sand in the province.

I mean, we have got some sand if you need it. Maybe we can do a sand for water trade?

Johnny Vassilaros, a paddle skier who heads up the Save Vetch’s Association, explained the situation:

“Basically it seems Durban has run out of sand. The city spent millions of rand building a new sand pumping station on the Point, which is completely dysfunctional.

“It is unable to replenish the city’s beaches with sand. It can only pump sand as far as Addington and is incapable of reaching the main beaches where the sand is actually needed.

“In two weeks we shall be experiencing the autumn equinox tides, and if they coincide with a huge swell, there will be huge damage, perhaps even more than we had in March 2007. The reason is simply [that] there is no sand to absorb the pounding surf.”

To combat the issue, the City dumped million of tonnes of sand at Vetch’s Beach and Addington, but instead of the littoral drift transporting the sand to the central beaches, it smothered the reef and killed off marine life!

And now the battle continues, as one province needs to find sand, while another needs to control it.

Like sands through the pumping station, so are the waves of our lives.

[source:timeslive&news24]